 October 1, Obidachi Rally will still hold in Lekki Labour Party, insist, and National Working Committee of the PDP right to Yorcha Ayu and returned housing allowance paid into their accounts. This is Plus Politics. I am Mary Anacorn. Labour Party on Thursday said it will still go ahead with its planned Obidachi Rally slated to hold at Lekki Ikeja Shrulleri and Festick Town in Lagos come Saturday, October 1, 2022. Governorship candidate of the Lagos State Chapter of the Party, Baribor Vivo Rhodes, made this known at a press conference saying that the federal High Court in the state had given the party the go-ahead to conduct the rally. The party's flag-bearer declared that the Obidachi Rally had no correlation with ENSAR's movement and therefore enjoined residents of the state to join the march and push for the independence of Lagos from the status quo and also celebrate the country's 62nd Independence Anniversary. Joining us to discuss this is Chaus O Putta, also known as the Area Fiverr. He's a veteran singer, songwriter and a human rights activist and also joining him on the set is Dr Mo. So good to have you gentlemen. Great. For those who do not know, you are the president of all frustrated Nigerians and many people don't understand why you would want to hold on to that kind of, you know, position. Is there a realistic position that anybody would want to hold? Why not? I'm frustrated myself, yeah, and I know that there's this hopelessness in hanging over young people's head for the past 15 years, okay. Nigeria has become a sad river of frustration, depression, you know, nothing grows in a toxic environment like this, okay. But I am happy that finally, finally, and also in my lifetime, I'm trying to see this tsunami kind of awakening amongst young people, you know, which has been something I've been advocating for for the past 40 years, you know, because four years ago, I kept asking, what I would never do, what I would never do. Now, they, I sort of get the feeling that they finally realize that in their hands lies the future of Nigeria. And as such, they've come to the realization that not them be the government, you know, be those people waiting for Aso Rock or in government lodges, you know, they hold the ultimate tools in their hands. So this is something that I'm quite happy about that finally, finally is happening. A lot of people would have thought that you would stay aloof. You would not pitch your tent with anybody, being that you're also very vocal about the, you know, political issues and of course how government has, especially with what happened in on the 20th of October in 2020, many would have thought that you would watch before you pitch your tent. But then of course you have pitched your tent and we're wondering why. It's simple. For all the times I didn't say nothing. I didn't want to say nothing. I was really suffocating. Okay. And finally, it just came out of my mouth. It came out of my mouth because here was a guy who had so much charisma. Here was a guy who was simple, basic. Here's a guy that everything that is coming out of his mouth seems to make sense. But most importantly, that is addressing issues, not talking about irrelevant things that don't concern us. Yeah. But most importantly, you know, I decided to, you know, true myself, you know, the Labour Party because that's where all the people over the years, over the 45 years I've ministered to seem to all be there, seem to be going that direction. And for the first time in my life, I'm following a trend, a trend that I think is positive, a trend that I think can bring changes. As far as I'm concerned, I'm nobody's campaign manager. But yes, I have love for the man Peter. But for me, I'm more concerned with young people because I'm hoping that from here on, they will start realizing the kind of power that they have. Because in the past, they've been brainwashed to think that it's a hopeless situation. They're never going to get anywhere. And who are they anyways, you know, they can't change nothing. Now that's a big fat lie. And they're beginning to come to that realization. Hence, we see they're standing up for what they feel is right. And this is the only way that they can retrieve their stolen future. So I'm rooting for them. You know, it's not it's just for me, for me personally, it's a campaign of good governance, that even when you get your heart desire, yeah, and they finally become president, it's not the time to go to sleep. This is a time to be very much awake, to question, to interrogate, to make sure that we don't go back to our old ways, especially young people. Okay. Because if we're talking about, you know, who's to blame for all of this, they also have a little blame from their side because they've been docile, they've been inactive, you know, consigned them, my teeth is better than your teeth, you know, mentality. But who created that mentality that led to that docility that you're making reference to? Well, the leadership, but a country is deserving of the kind of leadership it gets. Interesting. Many people have accused you of having tribal sentiments, ethnic, you know, sentiments for Peter or B, being that you're from the Southeast, and he's also a Southeast now. And being that many regions of this country have been agitating for the presidency to come to the South, and many have also decided that Peter or B would be that person. But others don't necessarily think along the lines of good governance, they think that you have some ethnic sentiments towards it. Can you call the year on that matter? Well, people who know me know that that's the last thing a Charlie boy can be, tribalistic. You know, that's not me. I guess I'm not the one they're talking about. They must be talking about somebody else, you know. So if it were to be from another place and it was not and it would be, per se, if it was like, if it was like, okay, wait, wait, if it was like, uh, what's it called? Why would he say that? Because I know him one on one, and I know that his heart is that dark, okay? If he was to be Russia's coach, now, if it's a PC and it was to be a Shiba in Joe, okay, we'll start to listen. You know, so I'm not, uh, I don't function on tribal and religious line. That's not me. So I guess people are looking for something to tag me with. And I also remember that I've been tagged as a homosexual in the past when I'm not. So name calling, don't bother me. That's what I'm saying. Let's come back to the politics of it before I come to Dr. Moore. The Peter B phenomenon, I've asked many politicians when they come on this show, what they think about the Peter B phenomenon and if they're worried about it, if it does give them a reason to want to step up their game. But then you spoke about the fact that you believe that these people are becoming more aware of the powers that they have. But we've seen Nigerians, you know, be this energetic on social media. And then election time, we see a drop of voter advocacy. Exactly. Can this phenomenon be sustainable all the way to, this is the largest, this is the longest time we've had to campaign for any campaign season. Can we sustain that momentum? Whether it be for NPC, whether it be for PDP, but young people in general. I don't see why not. Because what has gone bad has gone terribly bad. And the young people are beginning to feel a little guilty, if I may add, because they have finally realized not only that they have the power to change things, but, you know, they've been too long in the cooler. And from here on, it's a new Nigeria I believe that we're going to see because the young people are putting their foot down for the first time ever. And purchase obedience. It's not for them to go back to sleep or hell no. It's for them to be more alive, holding that government responsible, interrogating that government, asking questions. Are those conversations being had now? Because, you see, as much as we see that love or that movement, young people being aware, are the right conversations being had in preparation of what is to come? Listen, I've met, I've been privileged in my lifetime to meet very exceptional young people in this country. I've even learned from them. Okay. And I know that's what's playing out now. It's quite different. And my role as an area father has always been, you know, to put like minds together under one roof, go out and get it done. Go out and retrieve your stolen future. Interesting. I have hope. Okay. Okay. Let's talk about the march. I saw, I'll let him, I'll let him rest. I saw a lot of people show up in Abuja for the one million man march. And, you know, we saw a peaceful, somewhat peaceful event, you know, and very peaceful. Yes. We also remember, like I said, I like to always drop this, what happened in Lagos during the Anasas? Is there a united front of sorts that would prevent this activity from being hijacked? I tried to ask a young man yesterday, what are the things that are being put in place to make sure that interlopers don't take advantage of it and then cause another October 20 situation? How can we guard against that? Like the, the Abuja experience, for example, we were very clear. We had several meetings, you know, to up the ante where the things that the older orders have used to divide and rule us, you know, where religion is concerned, ethnicity and also the class value where some people are paid. You know, so we spoke to those narrative for the young people to understand that they are only being weaponized and they are victims in their own game. We did that very much. And you could see that the messages are sinking, you know, and they're seeing what is happening because the people who are sending you are their children there, you know, we try to raise their consciousness and their values along those lines. And anybody can see because at the end of the day, we're all human beings, you know, the pain, the blood that runs in our veins are all red, you know. So those kind of messaging, those kind of consciousness is what we used, you know, and very far they said something. We also let them know that you are the government, you know, so that sense of ownership, because if you, if you, if you turn the table around, if it's your house, if it's your road, you wouldn't dirty it. If you know that the street lights are put there for you, you wouldn't break it. So those kind of messages, the road, the president doesn't drive on the road, you are the one driving on the road, you know. So those kind of messages and also to understand that in reality, the narrative that the older orders are pushed as concerning this primordial, this parochial sentiments of divisive ways of use, the younger generation don't exist in that. They just want to go to school and come back. They want to have good jobs. They want to be on their phone and do tech and relate. And these tools that they use, they have no religion. They have no tribe. They have no, so the younger people are really united across the lines of purpose. This is why you are seeing the, the successes that are happening across board all over the country. And I think Lagos is no exception. Let's talk about the challenge. It was a little hiccup. There was a little, I don't know where that information came from, but then that there was going to be a convergence at the toll gate, where, you know, the October 20 incident happened. How did that come about? Because of course he ended up in court and then we had, you guys had to get a court order allowing you to even pass through the toll area. Help us understand how that happened. I mean, it's only natural because the passion and the energy, there's so much power that you see. And it's, this is driven from different genre of the young people, you know, of course you can totally alienate this energy. It comes from people who are deprived. It comes from people who will see the term, I mean, we'll be riddled with so much bad governance. Our young people have become tools and recruits meant for terrorism, for banditry, for, for all kinds of, you know, fraud, yeah, we are all kinds of menace in the society. So you see all of this. Now all these energies are coming together. Okay. The answer is energy is also coming together. And I'll tell you something that is very critical because I've interfaced with these elements who are kidnapping and all of that. They're all within the ages of 18 and then 35. When you flip the other side, this also, this positive anger that you see are also within that same bracket. So you begin to look at that demography. Now it's important because to deal with that negative energy, you need the impute of this positive energy. It's only these young people that can deal with that energy. And when you look at that under the backdrop of that, it's only natural for them to want to go to the toll gate because this is symbolic for them. You know, so there is no, I mean, there is no gain saying, I mean, it's just natural for them to be pulled is like gravity towards where some heroes who were just raising the flag of their country where, you know, destabilize. So you can see that. However, when the time for something has come, everything is going to work together for good. So whether they meet a leaky or at a stadium or whatever, the energy and the purpose driving them is one. And it's important that for social and political change to happen, the actors must necessarily move from being citizens to power citizens, then to rebels. And then they move from that rebel state to change agent and then reformers. Why the, why the rebellion part? Why do they have to rebel to get to become change agents? Why can't they just be power citizens and change agent? Yeah, because I mean, citizens means that you're just a citizen, right? What makes you a power citizen is your your PVC, because that's the only tool to vote and be voted for and also to recall. Now you move from that to change agent. When you are a change agent, you become what you become an activist, you become any of those tools that can be used. He had to become rebel because as change agents, you're against the government, you're against everything that is bad. If you don't rebel, you can't, you can't move from that stage because that rebellious is something positive. It's just like when we use the word revolution, it kind of sound, you know, that kind of energy, but it's required because it is after that. So you have the fellas, the Charlie boys, you have, you have, you have, what are you good to look at the Martin Luther King and all of those kind of things, the Mary McCabe, and all these people who have pushed the frontiers of social change. It is from there, the Mandela's, when you move from there, then you now go to reformer. That reformation process, it's important that you move through all of these stages. You can get to a reform, you can become a reformer without passing through. So it's a natural cause. So just like gold, you have to go through the fire, then come out like pigs. Just like Charlie boy, I had to rebel, rebel against the status quo in my house. My father was the Lord and Master. The household was like a court where he's the judge, the jury, the executioner and everything. So it wasn't easy, you know. And I've been doing that for the past 40 years. So it has to mean something and that is the power of staying consistent, staying tenacious with a little bit of audacity and sagacity as far as your personal dream is concerned. And that's why I say never let anybody kill your dream, okay? Even if it's your parents. And that's the same message I'm sharing with young Nigerians. You know, you want a beautiful country, you want a country where you'll be recognized, you want a country that works for you, stick to this because it will pay off at the end. That's the only way that your stolen future can be retrieved. Why should any young person come out, whether they believe in the Labour Party or not? Because, again, you started by saying this is a scenario sort. For those who support the movement and the fear of what might happen, we always see the might of government when we want to have protests, when people want to have solidarity stands or marches such as this. What's the messaging that should go out to these people to encourage them to come out and show solidarity with you? Do you want to start taking that price? I mean, it will be, it will be, how do I put it now? It's the objective thing to do. It is the only decisive thing to do. I mean, you've got to be fearless. How else would you write your name in the sands of times? This is history in the making and it's been televised. What else could you do? Sitting at home makes you what? I have no words. I mean, I would think every young person, every young people should be out because this is your history. This is your future. Playing right before you and you have been given the best opportunity. This is a singular best opportunity. He's never going to come again. It's like, how do you put it now? What was that? The comet? It's like the COVID season. You never, you don't have it twice in a lifetime. In addition to what you just said, I always tell young people, no matter if you've been bequitted with a bad deal, it behoves you. It's in your hands to make it correct. I've seen some people who have come from practically nowhere, but they pulled themselves up and made a success of their lives. So it's not about how the environment has so frustrated us, it's about the will that we want to see a better Nigeria, a better Nigeria that serves everybody, including young people, aged people or elderly people. I want to bring up something that Femi Kuti commented on about tolerance, especially for those who are part of the obedient movement on social media. We seem to see some mob mentality when someone does not necessarily support their cause. We see the pulling and dragging. Why would I want to vote for a candidate whose followers are negatively attacking people on social media? That was before. People are having sense now because that's not the issue because we already know that they've used religion, they've used tribalism to get us at each other's neck and there are bad people everywhere. There are bad people in APC, there are bad people in PDP, horrible people. There are also bad people in labour, a few bad people in labour too. So we're not about those kind of people, we're about what the issues are, where we are as citizens in this country today, which is kind of sad because we could be doing better. But then again I always say, if my people knew better, they would do better. So it's not just about, they cost me out too. They say, look at this, 72, sometimes they don't, they confuse me I don't even know how old I am anymore. 75-year-old man talking nonsense. No problem. Apart from the movement, do you think he stands a chance against the incumbent party, the PDP who has as their flag bearer, former vice president of this country, and of course we've seen a few other people from other political parties, but then of course money would say this is a three-horse race. How much of a chance does he stand? This is his first time being a flag bearer and of course a presidential candidate. That's not what I'm looking at. I'm looking at the man with the right kind of messaging. I'm looking at the man who speaks to my soul. I'm looking at the man who not only have charisma, but whose intention seemed to to be positive. We can't know it all. So it's not about we're rooting for him because he will win because he will use, he's just the right kind of guy for the now, for the now. And that is why even me as an area father, when I go out here to come in with my constituency, I always have young people who are around. Because like I said earlier on in the interview, I've learned quite a lot from the exceptional youths I've been privileged to meet in my lifetime. So there's no need me hogging the microphone when I have intelligent, outstanding, exceptional youths to talk about their problem about what they want to do with their life. When I won't talk again. And I have someone in that mode sitting here by my side. So finally, because I think our time is almost fast-paced, let's talk about the rally tomorrow. What time are people expected to show up? What are the plans? We just let people know what is happening tomorrow. It begins early, 7 a.m. people already converging at the the stadium in Suruliri and it's going to be very fast-paced because it's Independence Day by the way. Oh yeah, so the celebration begins at 7 in the morning, 7 a.m. the procession is going to lead towards withdrawal labor and then there we're going to have inspirational comedians, all kinds of people with the right messaging on good governance, on active citizenship and participation and all kinds of things and the label talking about of course hard work. I want to ensure that integrity is back on the streets, rightness, doing what is right and rather than raising your voice, raise your argument, we're moving the narrative from insults and abuses to issue-based and even in the context of religion, we're talking, we're saying that see Nigeria is multi-everything so in that context even religion is issue-based because if I feel that I'm not represented, so fight for your representation as you fight for your meritocracy you know and all of this mix and knowing how to do it is what good leadership is about. You sound like a motivational speaker. What's your message to the average young person, whether they be for B or for anybody else, knowing that most of them are home still on strike, a couple of them are yet to go to medical school, some are unable to go to law school. What's the message to the young people who are watching today? I'm just glad as an area father and the father to most exceptional Nigerian youths I'm just glad that this new consciousness, this new awakening is taking is taking a hold in my time so all I can say just wish you guys a good out in tomorrow I'll be there, I'll be there of course you know but I'll be in Sulerio, I'll be in National Stadium and I'm hoping to see you all there too okay. Well, Charles Poutat is a veteran singer, he is the area father, is a songwriter and also human rights activist and Dr. Moses Paul is the assistant youth leader of the Labour Party. Thank you so much gentlemen for being here. Thank you for having us. Oh, it's a pleasure. We'll take a quick break and when we return we'll talk about what's going on within the People's Democratic Party and the National Working Committee members rejecting housing allowances from the National Chairman. Stay with us.